Depression, Anxiety & Panic

Are you or someone you care for, feeling hopeless? Are you losing interest in things you once loved, low in energy, and focused on negative self-talk? These feelings tend to come around for all of us, but when they take over you mind, it might be time for an evaluation with a psychotherapist.There may be a different reason for your emotional woes and mood changes, and if it is depression you will have taken the most important first step to getting well. If you are experiencing depression, research shows that prompt depression treatment is important.

Depression treatment is often very successful. Depression includes a group of mental health disorders that affect approximately 18.8 million people, or 9.5% of adults in the U.S. every year. While everyone is susceptible to depression, men and women, adults, the elderly, adolescents, and children of all ages, nearly twice as many women are affected by a depressive disorder each year. Because no one has come up with a definitive answer as to what actually causes depression, depression treatment continues to be debated. Scientists have learned quite a bit over about the biological and psychological factors in the past decade, including what increases an individual’s chance of being affected by depression.

Some of the life stresses that are associated with depression include:

Life-changing events

Long-term stress

A history of trauma or abuse

Seasonal factors

Studies have confirmed that both psychotherapy and medication are successful in treating depression. Each situation is assessed individually, and the treatment or combinations of treatments best suited are implemented. Clients who seek a psychotherapist often begin to experience relief from depression within weeks of seeking depression treatment.

People with depression may experience a variety of symptoms, but most commonly seen is a deep feeling of sadness or a marked loss of interest and pleasure in activities ( The American Psychiatric Association) Other symptoms may include:

Irritability, agitation or restlessness

Lower sex drive

Inability to focus

Insomnia or excessive sleeping

Change is appetite, eating too much or too little

Chronic fatigue and lethargy

Unexplainable crying spells

Unexplainable physical symptoms such as headaches or body aches

Feeling hopeless and worthless

Withdrawal from social situations and normal activities

Thoughts of death or suicide

Depression can affect people of all ages, races and socio-economic classes, and can strike at any time. The condition is found in twice as many women as men, according to the NIMH.

Panic and anxiety treatment can be extremely successful and increase your quality of life. Anxiety symptoms fall into three categories:

Physiological

Cognitive

Emotional

If you are experiencing anxiety or panic symptoms, the most important first step is to schedule a physical with your M. D. to rule out any medical causes of the symptoms. Whenever emotional thoughts or mood symptoms are present to ensure medical wellness, finding the physical associations is important. What is equally important to anxiety treatment is understanding that you are not alone. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18% of the population. (Source: National Institute of Mental Health)

PHYSIOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS

Weak all over

Rapid, pounding heartbeat or palpitations

Tightness in the chest

Hyperventilation

Dizziness and sweating

Muscle tension, aches or tremors

Chronic fatigue

Anxiety causes changes in the body. Adrenalin and cortisol levels rise, and the body responds. When this occurs, the physical experiences in the body are the same as in an emergency; the heart races to allow quick muscular exertion and escape, breathing is rapid and shallow in an alarmed state, muscles tighten and tense up in anticipation of taking action, the chest feels pressure from both the rapid heart rate and the hyperventilation.

COGNITIVE SYMPTOMS

Do you think to yourself? ”I can’t carry on. I have to get out of here.”

“What if I make a fool of myself?”

People are looking at me all the time

I am having a heart attack

I am going to faint

I am going crazy

I am confused, losing control

Anxiety and panic cause the adrenalin and cortisol to rapidly increase. Concentration and attention are impaired, it is difficult to think clearly. The body is ready to react to an emergency which does not exist, so the mind is confused as a struggle to understand what is happening takes place. It is very easy to misinterpret the very real physical reactions, causing fearful thoughts to take control.

ANXIETY AND PANIC; EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS

Feeling like something terrible is going to happen

Being full of fears that fill your mind

Worrying excessively

Feeling uneasy and alone a lot of the time

Feeling isolated, down in the dumps, without control

Feeling embarrassed, rejected, criticized

It has been a very fulfilling experience as a professional psychotherapist to witness the improvement, relief, and healing of clients with anxiety treatment. Anxiety disorders may be successfully treated by psychotherapy, and often a combination of anxiety treatment and medication. Research provides strong data to support claims that anxiety treatment can be successful.